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The Journal of Neuroscience, December 15, 2002, 22(24):10966-10975
Feedforward Mechanisms of Excitatory and Inhibitory Cortical
Receptive Fields
Randy M.
Bruno and
Daniel J.
Simons
Department of Neurobiology, University of Pittsburgh School of
Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15261
Excitatory and inhibitory cortical layer IV neurons have
distinctive response properties. Thalamocortical connectivity that may
underlie differences was examined using cross-correlation analyses of
pairs of thalamic and cortical neurons in the rat whisker/barrel
system. Cortical layer IV cells discharging fast spikes, presumed
inhibitory neurons, were distinguished from regular-spike units,
presumed excitatory neurons, by the extracellular waveform shape.
Regular-spike neurons fired less robustly and had smaller receptive
fields (RFs) and greater directional tuning than fast-spike cells.
Presumed excitatory neurons were less likely to receive thalamocortical
connections, and their connections were, on average, weaker. RF
properties of thalamic inputs to both cell types were equivalent,
except that the most highly responsive thalamic cells contacted only
fast-spike neurons. In contrast, the size and directional tuning of
cortical RFs were related to the number of detectable thalamocortical
inputs. Connected thalamocortical pairs were likely to have matching RF
characteristics. The smaller, more directionally selective RFs of
excitatory neurons may be a consequence of their weaker net thalamic
drive, their more nonlinear firing characteristics and pervasive
feedforward inhibition provided by strongly driven, broadly tuned
inhibitory neurons.
Key words:
thalamocortical; cortical circuitry; whisker; barrel; barreloid; ventroposterior medial nucleus; thalamus; cross
correlation
Copyright © 2002 Society for Neuroscience 0270-6474/02/222410966-10$05.00/0
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